


Speed dating

by toastie_bread



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dating, Fluff, M/M, One Shot, ace being a dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27481384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toastie_bread/pseuds/toastie_bread
Summary: Ace goes speed dating.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 16
Kudos: 95





	Speed dating

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea last night and just knew I had to write about it.

Ace closed the Maps app on his phone, observing the building in front of him. It wasn’t anything pretty, a small pub, constructed from bricks which were probably every variety of red in the world. The sign at the front read ‘The Moby Dick’, further confirming that he was right where he needed to be. 

Or rather, forced to be.

He ran a hand through his messy locks and looked around to notice the streets were mostly empty around this time of day. Not that he really cared if anybody saw him, he was only walking into a pub at 11 in the morning, nothing suspicious about that at all.

But the real reason Ace arrived at this particular pub was not to feed his huge appetite or drink his problems away (although that did sound very appealing) but rather _meet_ someone. 

Ace was a 21 year old _single_ man whose only shot at romance so far was that he ordered pizza from the same pizza place enough times for the cute delivery guy to refer to him by his first name. Yes, he might have ordered pizza almost every day for a week just to see him and yes, his name was only one syllable that even a child could remember it, but that wasn’t the point. He was fucking desperate.

That was when his idiotic blonde brother suggested he try out speed dating and that there was one held this weekend with just male attendees. Fucking speed dating. He didn’t think anybody went speed dating after the early 2000s. Hell, he was sure the place would be filled with older people (not that he was that picky about age) but with the rise of popularity in dating apps – why would anyone even bother? 

Truth be told, he did try out a few dating apps himself but couldn’t find himself to download anything like that anymore after he found both his boss and his damn little brother on there.

 _Luffy, I swear to god if you don’t delete that app, I will kick your ass!_

He sighed, trying to focus on the reason why he was here. 

**Sabo.**

No, not that. The other reason. 

He wanted to finally meet someone he could talk to, go on dates with and finally get his ass laid.

♥

Ace had his elbow propped onto the table while he stared at the man in front of him. Blue hair, kind of shaggy-looking and lots of makeup. Yep, he was going to kill Sabo after this. 

“So uh… what do you do for a living?” Ace asked. 

“I’m a clown!” The man proudly pointed a thumb at his chest.

“Like a circus clown?” 

“Yep! The name’s Buggy – but, you’ve probably already heard of me.” 

“Not at all.”

“Don’t worry! I know everyone gets nervous when they have to date a celebrity and especially someone as great as me but have no fear, I – “ 

Ace couldn’t be happier when the timer went off. 

The next man who sat in front of Ace was a lot easier on the eyes. A LOT easier. He had light brown almost auburn coloured hair that was slicked back in a pompadour. He was wearing a casual tee paired with a leather jacket that made him look like a biker from the 60s. 

“Name’s Thatch. I’m a chef at a nearby restaurant. Yourself?”

Straight the point. Ace appreciated it.

“Ace. I'm a bartender.”

“Well, Ace, looks like we both work in hospitality.” 

“Then we both know how fucking miserable it can be.” 

Thatch chuckled at that, “you’re right about that.”

“You’ve got a neat scar. How’d you get it?” Ace noticed the mark just under Thatch’s left eye. He only hoped he didn’t stab himself like his idiotic brother did to get his. 

“Well, I-“

Fuck. The time was up. He’d have to remember to find that out later.

The next man had Ace do a double-take because wow, he was beautiful. And not in a masculine way like Thatch was, but in an elegant, poised sort of way. He had black hair that was tied up in a bun, with just a sliver of it covering his face. He wore deep red lipstick and he must have had the longest eyelashes of any man in the room. 

“Hello there.” 

“…Hey. Wow, you’re really pretty,” Ace gawked. 

“Thank you, you’re not so bad on the eyes yourself.” 

Ace blushed in response, feeling a little immature in comparison to the man who held himself with such grace. 

“My name is Izo. And you are…?” 

“Ace. Portgas D. Ace or Ace D. Portgas actually.”

Fuck, Ace was too damn nervous as if he was at some sort of job interview. The man known as Izo only smiled at him which helped with his nerves. The guy must have had a lot of patience. 

“Tell me Ace, have you ever used a sword before?” 

What. Did he hear that right?

“A sword? The thing that samurais use?” 

“Yes. Precisely.”

“…Can’t say that I have...Have you?”

“Yes, I have. In fact, I own several weapons.”

Ace had no idea where the conversation was headed, but he was thankful the timer went off. He breathed a sigh of relief, wondering if he would’ve ended up in prison if that conversation lasted long enough. Pretty people truly were the most dangerous. 

The next man was definitely the most revolting out of them all. His laugh was _unique_ at best and he was missing several teeth. He had dark curly hair with a matching beard and was holding a jug of beer in his hand. Ace couldn’t believe the man was already drunk while the sun was up. He almost wanted to beat the guy up when he told him his type was someone weak and easy to manipulate. What kind of psychopath was that guy? He made Izo look like a normal person. 

He went through several more men that he didn’t really bother to remember too well. One guy was weirdly obsessed with spiders and kept his tarantula on him at all times. Another guy had a long moustache that curled at the tips and a top hat but wasn’t a magician. They were all very interesting but not who Ace was looking for.

He sighed once the final rotations were announced, reconsidering his options. Thatch was probably the best one out of them all and if he was a chef, that meant that Ace could at least eat good food whenever he wanted. He was also probably good with his hands. 

“Hey there.”

Ace turned his attention to the man speaking to him. He hadn’t even realised he sat down. 

“…Hey.”

Ace must have had the dumbest look on his face once he _really_ took in the sight of the man in front of him. He had blonde hair that only sprouted from the top of his head with an undercut and a pair of red glasses. He wore a loose button-up shirt that exposed just enough of his chest for Ace to get a peek at what appeared to be a large phoenix tattoo. 

_Oh shit._

He would not accept it if he didn’t go home with this man tonight. But they only had three minutes! How the fuck was he going to win him over in that short amount of time? There was only one thing he could do - just say whatever the hell was on his mind at once. 

“My name’s Ace D. Portgas and I’m a bartender who's 21 year’s old and I have two younger brothers – one named Sabo who is my age and one named Luffy who is 19. I volunteer as a firefighter mostly on the weekends or whenever they call for me and my birthday is January 1st. I fucking love spicy food and food in general and I think you’re the hottest guy I’ve ever met but I don’t even know your name but I want you to date me!” 

Ace took a few breaths, feeling his heart race, and damn, had the AC stopped working? 

The blonde man kept his gaze on Ace, an unreadable expression on his face as the silence lingered between them until the timer went off. 

Ace had fucked up. 

He was expecting the man to leave the room or speak to whoever it was he found interesting (he might have been eyeing Thatch too after all and what did Ace have against a professional Chef who rocked a pompadour in this modern-day?!) but he remained seated in front of him. 

“Marco.”

“…Huh?”

“My name is Marco-”

Ace swallowed.

“And I would love to take you on a date.”


End file.
